I loved both Ella Enchanted and Fairest, so I was a little disappointed that Ever did not catch my interest quickly. The two main characters are Kezi, a young mortal girl, and Olus, a young god, and they tell the story in alternating chapters.
Kezi's mother becomes ill, and when she recovers the family believes they must sacrifice Kezi's life as repayment of an oath her father made when trying to save his wife. Also, Kezi and Olus fall in love, so Olus tries to find a way to spare Kezi's life.
Levine raises important questions regarding religion and fate here, but she deals with them with a soft touch and provides no definitive answers. Lots to think about here, then, which is always good, but I belive the story could have been more compelling.
Today I finished the second of the Ulysses Moore series, The Long Lost Map. In this one Rick and Jason have an adventure in ancient Egypt, while Julia and Nestor are left to battle Oblivia's henchman, Manfred, back home. This story reminded me of the Indiana Jones movies because of the search for an historic relic from an ancient civilization. There are plenty of mysterious tunnels and caves with snakes, spiders, and rats to add to the excitement. The story clearly continues with book three, so don't read this one unless you have book three handy!
I just re-read the first book in the Ulysses Moore series, by Pierdominico Baccalario: The Door to Time. 
This is an adventure story suitable for both boys and girls in upper grade elementary school. The main characters are 11-year-old twins Jason and Julia Covenant and their friend, Rick Banner. Jason and Julia move into Argo Manner, which is a very old house situated on a cliff overlooking the sea in England. Julia, who loved living in London, thinks she will be bored living so far removed from big city life, but she soon finds she is mistaken. There are plenty of riddles and other puzzles to figure out as the kids explore the old house, finding clues to the mystery of the previous owner’s activities. This book is similar to The Mysterious Benedict Society because of the adventure, mystery, and puzzles to solve; however, The Door to Time is written for a bit younger audience. The series so far consists of these titles:
1 The Door to Time
2 The Long Lost Map
3 The House of Mirrors
4 The Isle of Masks
